Mr [Fergus] Finlay [head of Barnardos Ireland) said the term “chugger” is an unkind name for young people who do a tough job. But he emphasised that the organisation wants to hear from any members of the public who have had an uncomfortable experience with one of their on-street-collectors.
“In the last nine months we’ve had 18 complaints, so an average of two a month – and we investigate every complaint,” Mr Finlay said. “In the last nine months 4,500 new people have signed direct debits. “So the number of complaints (compared to) the number people who have agree to become supporters of Barnardos is relatively small.